HRTEM investigation of the epitaxial growth of scandate/titanate multilayers

Despite their potential application in strain-engineered layer structures, the epitaxial growth of rare earth scandate films on cubic perovskite substrates is not fully understood to date. Here we report on the epitaxy of the orthorhombic GdScO₃ and DyScO₃ on (001) BaTiO₃ and SrTiO₃ thin films. In particular, the orientation relationship between the orthorhombic epilayer and the cubic substrate is examined by aberration corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. For all cases investigated, the long axis of the orthorhombic unit cell was found to be perpendicular to the growth direction.     

Evaluation of the pore morphology formation of the Freeze Foaming process by in situ computed tomography

The so-called Freeze Foaming method aims at manufacturing ceramic cellular scaffolds for diverse applications. One application is dedicated to potential bone replacement material featuring open, micro and interconnected porosity. However, the main challenges of this foaming method is to achieve a homogeneous pore morphology. In a current project, the authors throw light on the bubble/pore and strut formation of this process by in situ computed tomography. This allows for evaluating varying process parameter’s effects on the growth of the ceramic foam during the foaming process. As first result and basis for CT analysis, a stable and reproducible model suspension was developed which resulted in reproducible foam structures. In dependence of selected process parameters like pressure reduction rate or air content in the ceramic suspension resulting Freeze Foams became adjustable with regard to their pore morphology. Pore size and distribution data as well as the porosity were characterized and evaluated accordingly.     

Existence and stability of limit cycles in control of anti-lock braking systems with two boundaries via perturbation theory

This paper presents a two-phase control logic for anti-lock braking systems (ABS). ABS are by now a standard component in every modern car, preventing the wheels from going into a lock situation where the wheels are fixed by the brake and the stopping distances are greatly prolonged. There are different approaches to such control logics. An ABS design proposed in recent literature controls the wheel's slip by creating stable limit cycles in the corresponding phase space. This design is modified via an analytical approach that is derived from perturbation theory. Simulation results document shorter braking distance compared to available tests in the literature.     

Ice-mould freeze casting of porous ceramic components

Porous, hollow ceramic components were produced by freeze casting technique. For this purpose aqueous slurries with high solid contents were prepared which were stable against freezing down to at least −5 °C. Ice cores were made by coating steel components with freezing water which were subsequently dip-coated with the ceramic suspensions. After freeze drying which removes both, the ice core and the frozen suspension liquid, and sintering, ceramic components with a high amount of open porosity including steel parts could be achieved. As an example hydroxyapatite was used for showing the opportunities of the freeze casting technology among others for applications in the field of bone replacement. The influence of the solid content of the hydroxyapatite slurries on the ice crystal growth has been investigated by means of compact hydroxyapatite bodies which were prepared by freeze casting using ice moulds with cylindrical cavities.     

Additive Manufacturing of Ceramic Heat Exchanger: Opportunities and Limits of the Lithography-Based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM)

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques allow the preparation of tailor-made structures for specific applications with a high flexibility in regard to shape and design. The lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) technology allows the AM of high-performance alumina and zirconia components. There are still some restrictions in regard to possible geometries. The opportunities and limits of the LCM technology are discussed in the following paper using the example of ceramic heat exchangers. Structures are presented which combine a large surface for heat exchange with a small component volume and low pressure drop. This paper concludes summarizing the essential remarks.     

Epitaxial integration of the highly spin-polarized ferromagnetic semiconductor EuO with silicon and GaN

Doped EuO is an attractive material for the fabrication of proof-of-concept spintronic devices. Yet for decades its use has been hindered by its instability in air and the difficulty of preparing and patterning high-quality thin films. Here, we establish EuO as the pre-eminent material for the direct integration of a carrier-concentration-matched half-metal with the long-spin-lifetime semiconductors silicon and GaN, using methods that transcend these difficulties. Andreev reflection measurements reveal that the spin polarization in doped epitaxial EuO films exceeds 90%, demonstrating that EuO is a half-metal even when highly doped. Furthermore, EuO is epitaxially integrated with silicon and GaN. These results demonstrate the high potential of EuO for spintronic devices.